All the Faithful Departed

They Will Rise Again

Liturgical Cycle: A,B,C

Introduction

Greeting (See Rom 8:38-39)

Neither death nor life,
nothing that exists, nothing still to come
nor any created thing
can ever come between us and the love of God
made visible in Christ Jesus our Lord.
May this Risen Lord be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

Today’s celebration of All Souls is more a feast of hope than a day of mourning for the dead. By visiting the graves of our beloved ones and praying for all who have died, we profess and affirm our faith that we are still linked with the dead, that for us they are not gone for ever but that we shall see them again in the home of our Father in heaven. For them and for us the stone of the tomb will be rolled away, and we will rise from death as once Jesus raised Lazarus and he himself rose from the tomb. Let us celebrate this resurrection faith today, (or:)

Penitential Act

We seek forgiveness for all our sins,
for they destroy or obstruct life in us.

(pause,)

Lord Jesus, you became one of us
to share in our joys and pains, even our death:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you died for us on the cross
to take the evil of death away from us:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you rose from the dead
to open for us the way to life:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Have mercy on us, Lord,
raise us up from our sins
and lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen, (or:)

Opening Prayer

Let us recommend to the Lord
all the faithful departed

(pause)

God of the living, we believe that you are a God
of a love stronger than death
since your Son Jesus Christ, born as one of us,
destroyed death for ever.
Let all the faithful departed live
in the security of your love.
Let them enjoy the peace, your peace
which escaped them so often in life,
and give to us too the courage
to face life and to live it
in close union with your Son
We ask you this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

[Note. The readings suggested below are only a few taken from among many options, as the liturgical team and the celebrant may choose from among those given for Masses for the Dead the ones best fitted for the needs of the local community. The last section of the revised edition of the Lectionary offers some 46 readings to choose from.]

First Reading

Wisdom 3:1-9

The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
they shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the Lord shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R.   (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.   Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R.   The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.   Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R.   The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.   Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R.   The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.   Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R.   The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R.   Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

Second Reading

Romans 6:3-9

Brothers and sisters:
Hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his Blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Or:

Romans 6:3-9

Brothers and sisters:
Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus
were baptized into his death?
We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death,
so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father,
we too might live in newness of life.

For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his,
we shall also be united with him in the resurrection.
We know that our old self was crucified with him,
so that our sinful body might be done away with,
that we might no longer be in slavery to sin.
For a dead person has been absolved from sin.
If, then, we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with him.
We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more;
death no longer has power over him.

Alleluia Verse

Matthew 25:34

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Come, you who are blessed by my Father;
inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

John 6:37-40

Jesus said to the crowds:
“Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day.”

Prayers of the Faithful

Let us pray to our living God, who created us for life and happiness. God will not give us up to death but give us eternal life. Let us pray: R/ Lord of life, hear your people.

For the dead in our family and our community, for all those who were dear to us in life, that God, who called them by their names, may be their unending joy, let us pray: R/ Lord of life, hear your people.
For all those who had to suffer much in life from sickness, injustice or poverty, that their sorrow may now come to an end and that there may be no end to their happiness, let us pray: R/ Lord of life, hear your people.
For the dead who had to go a lonely way through life because none or few cared for them or because they were loners themselves or because their children or partners deserted them; for those whom nobody mourns, that now they may discover the joy of the friendship of the saints in heaven, let us pray: W Lord of life, hear your people.
And finally for ourselves, that we may help and support one another on the journey through life, that we may go the Lord’s way side by side and share joys and sorrows, life and death, let us pray: R/ Lord of life, hear our prayer.

God of life we thank you for the assurance that the dead are in your hands and that we are called and destined to eternal life on account of your risen Son Jesus. Do not let our heart be troubled but reunite us one day with those whom we have known and loved. Lead us all to you through him who is our way, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer Over the Gifts

Lord our God, we entrust into your hands
our life and our death.
Give us your life-giving bread
and the wine of loyalty to your covenant,
that by their power
we may overcome death and live for life
and join those who have gone before us in faith,
through Jesus Christ, your Son and
our Risen Lord for ever. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

Let us give our wholehearted praise to the Father of life and happiness, for he has created us for life and has not abandoned us to death. He has brought us the fullness of life through Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord.

(Do not forget to use the inserts for the dead in the Eucharistic Prayer.)

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer

Let us pray in the words of Jesus
to the God of life and hope
who is our Father in heaven. R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us

Deliver us Lord, from every evil and grant your peace in our day to a world that cannot create peace, and to the dead who died in the hope of living in your lasting peace.Free us from the fear of death, as we wait in joyful hope for our resurrection and the full life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion

This is our Risen Lord, who said:
I am the resurrection and the life.
Those who believe in me will live,
even though they die; and whoever lives
and believes in me will never die.
Happy are we to be united
as we eat the bread of eternal life. R/Lord, lam not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
you know and love us beyond death. We thank you for calling all of us
to live forever in your friendship. We thank you for the unending happiness
of the saints who live in your joy. We thank you for your undying,
everlasting love for us and for all our beloved dead.
Accept our thanks through your risen Son
Jesus Christ, our Lord forever. R/ Amen.

Blessing

We have prayed today
for those who have died,
known or unknown, close or distant.
It was an occasion for us to deepen our faith
in the resurrection of the Lord,
of the deceased, and of ourselves.
We believe in a living God
who wants all to live in his love and joy.
May our God of life bless you all,
the father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Let us go in the peace of the Lord. R/ Thanks be to God.

REFLECTIONS

2 November 2025

All the Faithful Departed

Matthew 25:31-46

You who are blessed by my Father

Yesterday, we celebrated the joy of All Saints—the Church triumphant, our brothers and sisters who now share in the glory of heaven. Today, our hearts turn with tenderness to the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. These two days are closely linked, like joy and sorrow held together in Christ. The saints remind us of our destiny, and the departed invite us to remember with love, to pray with hope, and to walk with faith.

The liturgy today places before us two truths: God’s mercy and our responsibility. In Matthew’s Gospel, we hear of the Last Judgement: the Son of Man separating sheep from goats, blessing those who served the hungry, the stranger, the sick, and the imprisoned. This is the heart of Christian life—faith in Christ expressed in love for our neighbour.

Remember that the mystery of the Church is that salvation is always a gift from God. We are justified not by our own efforts but through grace—a grace freely offered by God, who always initiates. Faith is a gift to be received. However, like any gift, it requires a response. God’s grace produces fruit only when we open our hearts to Him.

Today, as we pray for the souls of the departed, we are reminded of the great mystery of the communion of saints. The Church teaches us that there are three dimensions of this communion: the Church triumphant in heaven, the Church suffering in purgatory, and the Church pilgrim on earth. Visiting cemeteries, offering Masses, and remembering the dead are not acts of sorrow alone but of hope—hope rooted in the conviction that death does not have the last word.

This communion also reminds us of responsibility. What we do on earth echoes in eternity. Our choices, our actions, our capacity to love or to withhold love—these matter. As Jesus teaches, it is not enough to avoid doing harm; we are called to do good, to feed the hungry, to welcome the stranger, to comfort the afflicted.

But here we face the temptation of selfishness and pride, which close our eyes and harden our hearts. They make us blind to the needs of those around us. To live well is to see—not only ourselves, but also those who suffer nearby. Faith opens our eyes, softens our hearts, and gives us the courage to act with generosity.

Today, as we pray for the faithful departed, we also reflect on our own path. The Last Judgement should not frighten us; rather, it should encourage us to live the present with faith, mercy, and love. God’s grace always comes first—salvation is His gift. But He asks us to respond, to make our lives a witness of love.

May the Lord, at the end of our days, recognise us as good and faithful servants. May Our Lady, the Gate of Heaven, accompany us on our journey, so that one day we may rejoice with the saints, united with all the faithful departed in God’s eternal embrace. Amen.

Jn 6:37-40
God’s life in human

God chose us, in Christ, before the creation of the world, to be holy, and without sin in his presence (Eph 1:4). This scripture addresses the journey of each soul. In the prophetic words of Khalil Gibran, “Your children are not your children… they are with you yet do not belong to you… You may house their bodies but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow...”

The completion of the journey is reaching where you began from, and that’s what nature is, so is the soul… just as the body belonging to the earth mixes back to it, so the soul belonging to the Lord should merge in the Lord.

That’s what 1 Jn 3:2 reads, ‘We will be like him, because we will see him as he is’. This is the goal of every soul. In this way, we celebrated yesterday those souls who, even after death, live with God, God alike as Church triumphant, which is the communion of saints. According to Hebrews 12:14, ‘without purity, no one will see the Lord.’ Consequently, many dead souls fail to reach this Church triumphant because of impurity, and we remember them today as the Church suffering.

Every relationship in this world is, in fact, a conversation between souls, and the body is only an instrument for expression. It conveys many truths for the Church suffering.

• Parents love us. We love our parents. The loveable Lord lives in and through this relationship.

• Because God is love, our love for the dead continues beyond the grave. If so, Can the word or deed of love, expressed in memory of our beloved, not lead the dead to God? Because love is God.

• If saints can intercede for us out of love, we can also appeal to God for the dead out of love for them.

• In this way, we make ourselves members of the church triumphant by constantly engaging ourselves in the act of love for others and so we are called church militant or pilgrim church.

Hence, a transformation of our life becomes a progression on the dead and a celebration in God as it is said in Luke 15:7 ‘over one sinner who repents there will be great joy in heaven’.

So the celebration of all souls places a demand on each of us, the living, towards transformation.